Bach's Faction

Bach's Faction was the dominant faction of Austrian politics during the mid-19th century, flourishing during the reign of Franz Joseph I of Austria. The faction was led by statesman Baron Alexander von Bach, a pragmatic politician who changed his views to fit the mood of the people. Originally a liberal, Bach changed his ideology to conservatism during the 1850s, and his faction supported the military, opposed immigration, allowed religious freedom, and supported the centralization of the Austrian Empire, leading to a rise in Hungarian nationalist sentiment. The faction dominated politics for decades, even after Bach began to support the Neo-absolutists.